It's the moment we've all been waiting for on Season 17 ofDancing with the Stars:CherNight! The legendary singer/actress is in the house as both a guest judge and a performer, and kicks off the evening with a somewhat stilted rendition ...

TV Guide

It's the moment we've all been waiting for on Season 17 of Dancing with the Stars: CherNight! The legendary singer/actress is in the house as both a guest judge and a performer, and kicks off the evening with a somewhat stilted rendition of "Believe." Am I the only one who was a little amused by her minimal movements, considering that this is, at the end of the day, a dance show? She looked like me the day after running the New York City marathon. (I kid - I would never run a marathon.) Regardless, she still looks and sounds great - with likely a little backing track help, let's be honest - and her presence alone definitely takes the episode up a notch.

It's also the first night of dance-offs, where couples will compete head-to-head. So let's - oh, what's that? Val is apparently trying to impress Cher right off the bat, and seems to have lost his shirt during the journey from the backstage area to the ballroom. Sigh. To the dances!

Corbin Bleu & Karina Smirnoff (Argentine Tango)Kicking off the night are Corbin and Karina, with Karina resembling a shimmery Cleopatra ("It looks like the Mirrorball melted on your head," Tom notes). They're dancing to a song from the Cher/Christina Aguilera cinematic masterpiece Burlesque, so I guess it's fitting. Corbin seems to have just the slightest difficulty with a lengthy lift in the middle of the song, and it really seems like Karina is doing most of the work here. But it's still an impressive number. Corbin is definitely the frontrunner at this point, no? Karina's smooch at the end of the dance leaves a lipstick mark on his nose, ha. Carrie Ann says his footwork could have been a little smoother. Cher misses her paddle cue. She'll get the hang of it.Score: 27

Leah Remini & Tony Dovolani (Viennese waltz)Aw. Leah and Tony pick "I Got You Babe" for their song because Leah is obsessed with Sonny and Cher's meet-cute in a Los Angeles coffee shop. And she's really stepping up her game! I have to say, this is the first week where Leah looks like she's having an unabashed good time on the floor. Her movements are fluid and more confident than we've seen from her in past weeks, and she looks absolutely thrilled when the number is over. Even J-Lo is crying in the audience! Bruno reminds Leah to hold her lifts. Carrie Ann says the lifts were fine, but the timing was a little off. Cher seems genuinely touched at Leah's interpretation of her love at first sight moment.Score: 25

Brant Daugherty & Peta Murgatroyd (Foxtrot)Brant and Peta lose a couple of days of rehearsal this week with Brant being back on the set of Pretty Little Liars. Their foxtrot is sharp, although it seems like Peta resorts to a lot of spins in the absence of more complicated choreography, and even I got a little dizzy watching all of them. The number ends with Peta planting a wet one on Brant's lips (the song is "It's in His Kiss," after all). Carrie Ann tells Brant that he has the most star potential of the contestants, but says he needs to finesse some of his lines and make sure his knees aren't turning in. Bruno concurs. Cher's judging strategy appears to be: just give everyone a 9.Score: 27

Elizabeth Berkley & Val Chmerkovskiy (Jazz)Elizabeth's last-minute song change to "Bang Bang" puts extra pressure on herself and Val during rehearsals, so let's see if they can pull it off. Val's shirt is still M.I.A. Their red light special of a dance is sensual and violent, just like the song, and Elizabeth even seems to take control at certain points. "I like the rough part of it," Cher says. (She's trying.) Then she adds something that gets bleeped by the censors, but draws a huge round of applause from the crowd. Anyone care to guess what the comment was? "It was like the Hunger Games!" Bruno adds, which sends Cher into a fit of laughter, but he also notes that Elizabeth missed several musical cues. Carrie Ann calls the dance "one-dimensional." Ouch.Score: 25

Bill Engvall & Emma Slater (Disco)Ladies and gentlemen, meet Bill "Disco Duck" Engvall! Bill, who was so excited (but not so scared) to be dancing in front of his "fantasy girl" Cher, really pulls out all the stops this week. All of a sudden I am transported to 1975 at Studio 54 with Mr. Engvall. And I love it. He's totally got this - well, minus spinning Emma around by his neck, where he looks like he may have pulled a muscle. But the dance is fun and lighthearted and a real pick-me-up for the night. Bruno compares Bill to John Travolta (in spirit). "You're like the mayor of Dancing with the Stars," Carrie Ann tells him. "You were off the beat, but I still loved it." Cher notes: "I was amazed that you could get her up in all those positions." Bill's response? "It's a little blue pill." HA! Cher - perhaps not amused? - breaks form and hands out an 8.Score: 24

Jack Osbourne & Cheryl Burke (Tango)It's pretty adorable to see how into Dancing with the Stars Jack is getting, after expecting it to be "the cheesiest experience" of his life. He and Cheryl have a lot to live up to after their 10 last week. Jack again looks like he's concentrating extra hard this week, and misses a head turn (as Carrie Ann notes later). But he's more or less okay from the neck down, with sharp kicks and smooth movements. "You're like a tango-dancing pimp," Cher tells him.Score: 27

Amber Riley & Derek Hough (Rumba)Amber says she checked into the hospital this week with an injury. Can she muddle through it? Derek starts their routine off in a sailor costume, but that doesn't last long as he pulls a Val and sheds his shirt. Their hip swivels are sultry (Derek's in particular), but whether its due to Amber's injury or something else, she keeps her footwork to a minimum - and a super-slow one, at that. The dance also seems slightly mismatched to the song. "Not your best dance," according to Carrie Ann, but the duo inexplicably manage to pull out the best score of the night.Score: 28

With Derek and Amber in the lead with 28, they're automatically immune and won't have to participate in the dance-off. Before we get to that, there's another performance from Cher, who looks to be wearing a flock of dead crows on her head as she sings her new ballad "I Hope You Find It." Oh, and Chaz is in the audience! I wonder how their tutoring session went.

The way the dance-off works: The top two couples get to pick which couple they're dancing against, and that couple gets to choose the type of dance.

After Derek and Amber, the second place couple (based on cumulative scores) is Corbin and Karina. They choose to go up against Elizabeth and Val, who opt for the cha-cha.

Corbin and Karina go first, and again, Corbin is so on point that it's hard to tell which one is the pro and which is the star with these two. Elizabeth and Val's dance is also pretty impressive, but Corbin and Karina are just so good that they're hard to top. It's unanimous from the judges, too: Corbin and Karina win the contest.

Next up is Brant and Peta, who choose to compete against Leah and Tony. Leah and Tony pick the Rumba.

For Round 2, Leah and Tony are a lot more subdued compared to Brant and Peta, who are tight and controlled while performing at a much faster pace. However, Carrie Ann points out that the rumba is the "dance of love," and Leah nailed it. Cher and Carrie Ann vote for Leah and Tony, while Bruno sides with Brant and Peta.

Time for Round 3, the disco. Jack and Cheryl look great in their coordinated outfits, and their spin at the end is particularly impressive, but disco is Bill's game all the way - and they bust out a spin of their own at the end! However, the judges seem a little biased towards Jack and Cheryl, noting that Bill had just done a disco an hour ago. Again, it's unanimous: Jack and Cheryl. But, Tom immediately reveals that Bill and Emma are still safe! Bill shrieks.

Now, on to the elimination.

Safe: Elizabeth and Val, Corbin and Karina, Leah and Tony

In Jeopardy: Jack and Cheryl, Brant and Peta

Eliminated: Brant and Peta

What did you think? How did Cher do as a guest judge? Are you surprised that Brant and Peta were sent home? Which was your favorite dance of the night? Who do you think are the frontrunners at this point? Weigh in below!